Pottsville Elementary has formed a special partnership with an elementary school in Gulf Port, Miss., that was affected by the recent hurricanes, and fourth graders in J.B. Wilson's class recently took a little extra time to send one class some special Christmas treats.

Wilson and his students collected donations of money, school supplies and small treats last week, and the fourth graders put together Christmas care packages Friday for a fourth-grade class at Three Rivers Elementary School - a gesture that Wilson said he hopes will be the start of a friendly relationship between his students and the Mississippi students.

"Our character word of the month is 'compassion,' so I think this is a great way to help teach my students what compassion is all about," Wilson said. "We're doing what we can, even if it's just a few small things, to show others that we care."

Pottsville Elementary became a "buddy school," with Three Rivers Elementary after principal Melissa Cox's husband visited Mississippi with his church.

"He went down there with a church group to help rebuild a church," Cox said. "When they were walking around one day, he saw an elementary school in the area, and he went in and spoke to the principal and told her about our school.

"That pretty much started our communication with them, and we've been trying to help them any way we can. They seem very appreciative and thankful for what we've done."

Wilson said collection jars were set up in his classroom as well as throughout the school and community, including the Pottsville Shell Station and Powell Boots. The money collected from those jars was used to pay for shipping charges and to purchase additional supplies or treats to include in the care packages, Wilson said.

"A lot of our parents donated supplies to send down there," Wilson said. "The school itself wasn't really damaged by the hurricane, but some of the kids are still displaced and living in temporary homes. So we're trying to send things like school supplies, but we also wanted to include some candy, stickers and art kits - things that will be fun."

The fourth graders in Wilson's class will also send letters to students at Three Rivers in an effort to begin a pen pal exchange, Wilson said.

"They've written an autobiographical letter and included information about themselves," he said. "But they've also asked the students to tell them about themselves and a little bit about what they went through with the hurricanes.

"The teacher in Mississippi will match up the letters with her own students. She'll try to determine, by reading our letters, which of her students would make good partners and then give them the letters.

"My students have really been excited and eager to learn more about Mississippi and what those students have been through."

Wilson said the replies from the Mississippi students are something his students are already looking forward to receiving after the holiday break.

His students decorated bags Friday and stuffed them with supplies and treats. Wilson said he believes the activity has been a good lesson for his students and for the community as a whole.

"Everyone in the community has been great to give," he said. "Hopefully, this will help those kids know we're here for them, that someone is still thinking about them. It's just a little sentiment to show compassion, to try to understand what they're going through."